ABSTRACT
In an information-based and reform-minded society, adjectives such as “adequate,” “efficient,” “effective,” and “good” (and their antonyms) have been used freely and carelessly to label schools. Because these adjectives have not been defined consistently, their connotations are imprecise. As demonstrated in the vignette about the Cross Creek school district, local stakeholders may see their schools as being adequate even though they are in a deplorable condition and lack basic features found in modern schools.
